Courtesy of The Orchard

Based on the novel by Bonnie Nadzam, Lamb is an unsettling drama about the relationship between an unmoored middle-aged man and a precocious young girl. The movie, starring and directed by Ross Partridge, consists mainly of a road trip, fraught with the self-centered needs of its protagonist and set against the beautiful backdrop of the duo’s natural surroundings (Wyoming and Colorado).

When we first meet David Lamb (Partridge), he’s denying the fact that his wife has left him to his ailing, alcoholic father, who knows better; David also lies about his wife’s desertion to co-worker Linny (Jess Weixler), with whom he is having an affair. Despite his good looks and laid-back outward demeanor, David is obviously a guy with issues.

Some time later, he is smoking in a parking lot after his father’s funeral, when 11-year-old Tommie (a terrific Oona Laurence) saunters up and asks for a cigarette, a dare set up by her friends. David’s reaction – he not only gives her one, but lights it – is the just the first of many disturbing moments in this film and in their relationship. He pretends to kidnap Tommie to scare her friends, but actually drives her home, and lectures her about approaching him: “I’m not a bad guy, but I could have been.” (He introduces himself as “Gary,” one of many lies he tells to various people he knows or encounters.)

Courtesy of The Orchard

This sets the tone for the rest of the film, showing both David’s concern for Tommie and his disconcertingly inappropriate behavior. We want to be sympathetic but can’t help being appalled, or at least frustrated, by his lack of judgment.

Things haven’t been going well for David at work, either, and his boss suggests that he take some time off. When “Gary” and Tommie meet again, they discuss their depressing Midwestern town. “I’m probably going to die here,” says the preternaturally bright girl, who acknowledges that their budding friendship is “weird,” and lies about her whereabouts to her slacker mom and boyfriend, who don’t pay much attention.

David proposes a weeklong trip to his father’s cabin out west, warning Tommie that “This will look a lot like kidnapping” (yep!), so she’d better think about it before deciding whether to go. Of course she decides to go.

So they embark on a road trip and have deep conversations amid beautifully-shot vistas of open spaces. David lectures Tommie and predicts, “You’ll wonder about the old guy who showed you so much beauty in the world.” Sensing a kindred soul from an equally rough background, he seemingly wants to help her, as well as himself. (“You’re going to teach me all about the beautiful things I’m supposed to know,” he tells her.) We keep wondering exactly how David can justify his actions, logical as they may seem to him. There doesn’t appear to be any sexual interest on his part, which is a relief, but still… How stable can he be?

Courtesy of The Orchard

At one point, the girl becomes homesick and cries at a truck stop, catching the attention of a sympathetic woman. It’s one of several opportunities for the duo to be apprehended, adding to the film’s tension. “I’m going to be in so much trouble,” Tommie tells David later. “No, you’re not; they’re going to be so happy to see you, then I’ll leave town, so you can get over this,” he replies matter-of-factly. And we know he’s probably right.

The cabin is idyllic and peaceful, though its serenity and the increasingly affectionate relationship between David and Tommie — including confession of a secret that sort of explains his actions — is interrupted by both a nosy neighbor and Linny, who has come to keep David company, much to his dismay. She seems to recognize that he is indeed basically a good guy and so hasn’t given up on him. But the timing is obviously bad and things become even more tense before finally resolving on an emotional note.

Most movies are pretty clearcut about good versus bad characters, so it’s always interesting to meet one who is deeply flawed but still somewhat sympathetic. Many audiences may not buy it – and it’s not an easy sell – but there’s value in this odd and sometimes poetic film about a friendship that is wildly incongruous but is somehow real nonetheless.

Lamb is currently playing at Cinema Village.

—Marina Zogbi